Gov. David Ige urges Hawaii Legislature to resurrect water rights bill opposed by environmentalists. Gov. David Ige is prodding state lawmakers to resurrect a controversial bill that would give public water users, including Alexander & Baldwin, the electrical utilities, farmers and others, more time to meet stringent requirements for obtaining long-term leases, a move that has angered opponents of House Bill 1326. Star-Advertiser.

Ige Calls For Reconsideration Of Water Bill. The governor says passage of the stalled measure is in the public interest but critics called it an abuse of Ige’s position. Civil Beat.

Governor Asks Lawmakers to Revive Water Rights Bill. Gov. David Ige has asked state lawmakers to revive a bill that would extend water permits held by private users, a measure that a Senate committee shelved earlier this session. Hawaii Public Radio.

Governor Urges Lawmakers to Take Action on Controversial Water Bill. Maui Now.

Ige accused of trying to bring back ‘zombie bill’ on contentious water rights issue. Gov. David Ige has taken the unusual step of asking lawmakers to revive a hotly debated measure that many thought was dead for the session. Hawaii News Now.

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Aloha State sees increase in gas prices. The average price of gas in the state increased a nickel or more in the past week and 24 cents higher in than a month ago, said GasPrices.AAA.com. KHON2.

Hawaii jobless rate climbs to 2.8%. Hawaii’s unemployment rate, reflecting slowing growth in the state economy, resumed its upward trend in March and climbed to a 28-month high of 2.8%. Star-Advertiser.

Oahu

Battle lines take shape as 2 vacation rental bills advance. When it comes to the thorny issue of vacation rental homes on Oahu, it seems the clearer the issue gets, the more complex the answers appear to be. Star-Advertiser.

Short-Term Rental Regulation Advances at Honolulu Hale. On Wednesday, the Honolulu City Council held a public hearing on the latest proposals to rein in Oahu’s vacation accommodations, like those rented on Airbnb, HomeAway, and VRBO. Hawaii Public Radio.

After several years of debate, a measure to regulate monster homes on Oahu is awaiting Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s signature. The bill passed the City Council Wednesday, but the head of the department that will enforce the proposed rules says some details need to be hammered out. Associated Press.

A bill regulating so-called monster homes on Oahu is now in the hands of Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell. KITV.

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Police investigating reported kidnapping of attorney tied to Kealoha corruption probe. Chris Woo once represented Jesse Ebersole, a Big Island firefighter who told the court he had a long-term affair with Katherine Kealoha and said he lied to the federal grand jury to protect her and hide their romantic relationship. Hawaii News Now.

City plans second interim rail opening. In a significant change to the much-anticipated rollout of the Honolulu rail line, the city is now planning to open new segments of rail in 2020 and in 2023 before finally opening the entire 20-mile line in 2025. Star-Advertiser.

Ige Assures Caldwell Of Ala Wai Flood Control Financing Plan. The latest letter in the saga over canal flood control informs city leaders that at least some dollars have been committed to the project. Civil Beat.

Honolulu City Councilmember-elect Tommy Waters is eager to hit the ground running. Waters says there's a 20-day waiting period where the City Office of Elections can audit the results from Saturday's District Four Special Election. KITV.

Inspection leads to boat blaze at Honolulu Harbor. U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel Thursday were inspecting a fishing boat at Pier 16 when a neglected stove apparently caught fire, leading to a spectacular blaze. Star-Advertiser.

Can A Sustainable Industry Be Built From An Invasive Species? A landmark project on the UH Manoa campus shows the albizia tree’s potential as a building material — and the challenges of developing manufacturing in Hawaii. Civil Beat.

Hawaii Island

Civil Defense on the hot seat. Civil Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno found himself in the hot seat Thursday, as County Council members grilled him about communication lapses during two recent disasters. West Hawaii Today.

Volcano Watch Examines Cause Of 2018 Kilauea Eruption. The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is reiterating its position that geothermal drilling did not cause the lower East Rift Zone eruption. Big Island Video News.

Hilo Transfer Station Shutdown After Discovery of Explosive Ordnance. The explosive device was found to be a non-functioning grenade, with no detonation ability. Big Island Now.

County cleans out more homeless camps. Hawaii County Highways Divisions crews, Hawaii Police officers and HOPE Services Hawaii employees worked to clear more homeless camps Thursday in the village and downtown Kailua-Kona areas. West Hawaii Today.

Maui

Blessing Held for $21.7 M Iao Water Treatment Plant. Mayor Michael Victorino took part Thursday in the blessing of the new $21.7 million Iao Water Treatment Plant. Maui Now.

Airport tram making practice runs. The tram connects the airport’s arrivals and departures gates with the $340 million, 1.3 million-square-foot consolidated rental car building scheduled to open May 15. Maui News.

Costs still rising. According to the County of Kauai, it has received $25 million from the state of Hawaii to help recover from the April 2018 flooding disaster. Garden Island.

No place to go. Homeless to be evicted from camp near homeless shelter. Garden Island.

Settlement reached, payment delayed. Patricia and Michael Kocher Sr. still haven’t been paid the $1 million promised to them by the County of Kauai to settle a lawsuit they filed over the death of their son, who was killed four years ago by a speeding police cruiser.Garden Island.

About Me

Nancy Cook Lauer has more than 25 years experience as a journalist, winning national and state awards for newspapers in Florida and Hawaii. She publishes a daily state government news aggregate and commentary blog, All Hawaii News. Vice President of the Hawaii SPJ chapter as well as former president of the Big Island Press Club, Lauer has a Master of Science degree in Library and Information Studies from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology, summa cum laude, from Old Dominion University. She earned her reporting chops covering the 2000 Bush v. Gore presidential election at Florida's ground zero and was recently honored with a Torch of Light award and a Hawaii state Senate commendation for uncovering questionable spending practices in local government.

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